Basket with stacking lid



Feb. 21, 1956 W GEORGE BASKET WITH STACKING LID Filed Aug. 9, 1954 United States Patent l BASKET WITH STACKING LID Walter C. George, St. Louis, Mo., assiguor to Gaylord Container Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Maryland Application August 9, 1954, Serial No. 443,549

4 Claims. (Cuna- 43) The invention relates to meansV for transmitting the t weight of vertically stacked coveredV baskets or containers exclusively to the walls of thev subjacent units in the stack and maintaining the cover panels of the baskets in horizontal. spaced relation above the plane ofthe upper edges ofv the walls of the basket or container.

More specifically, the invention provides a cover member for a basket or container comprising ay cover panel with side flanges folded right angularly downward, forming a peripheral rim, the lower portion of which tightly encl'oses. the upper portion of the container body in the closed position of the cover member. The inner face of the rim is provided at intermittent intervals with separate load' transmitting ledges integral with the cover member. The ledges terminate in bearing faces lying in a horizontal plane parallel tothe cover panel and spaced intermediate with cover. panel and the free outer edges of the rim. The bearing faces of the ledges seat on the upper ends of thebasket tray walls and transmit the weight of superimposed. loaded baskets exclusively on the walls of the subacent basket trays, and at the same time maintain the cover panelV in horizontal spaced' relation above the top edges of the tray walls.

An object of. the invention is to provide a. basket with a telescoping cover member provided with means for maintaining the cover panel in ahorizontal plane above the top edges of the walls of the basket and for transmitting the weight of stacks of superimposed baskets exclusively to the walls of the trays ofthe subjacentbaskets.

Another object is to provide a telescoping cover member` of `a. basket with load carrying ledges formed of material taken entirely from the cover panel, at least one ledge being secured to the inner face of each side ofthe rim portion of the telescoping cover, the ledges being adapted to seat on the upper edges of the container walls and firmly maintain the cover panel in a horizontal plane at a predetermined level above the walls of the basket.

Other objects will become apparent and the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the appended drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur:

Fig. l is a plan view of the blank from which a preferred embodiment of a cover member of a basket is formed;

Fig. 2 is perspective view of the underside of the partially assembled cover member;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a typical style basket tray having a handle member, shown in dotted lines, closed by the fully assembled cover member of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the closed basket of Fig. 3 taken in the direction of the arrows 4 4;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the assembled cover member shown in Fig. 3 taken in the direction of the arrows 5 5;

Fig. 6 is afragmentary section of the assembled cover member of Fig. 3 taken in the direction of the arrows 6 6; and

g 2,735,608 Patented Feb. 21, 1956 ice Fig. 7 is a plan view of an assembled modified form of the cover member, employing asingle ledge on each side and. end ofthe cover member rim.

The rectangular blank4 A, Fig. 1, from which the cover member of. the basket or container is formed, is divided longitudinally by parallel scores Ill and parallel transverse scores 1l., definingv a, cover panel 12 of the cover member A and the inner edges of side flanges 14 and end anges 16, respectively. The inner ends of flaps 15 and the outer ends of flanges 1.6 are defined by extensions of. transverse score 11. Transverse scores 1 7 define the outer side of flanges 16 and the inner side of extensions 16a. Slots 13 define the ends of the flanges 16 and the extensionsv 16a thereof and the inner edge of iiaps 15 of side flanges 14. The cover panel. 12 may beiA slotted at 18 to provide an opening for a handle member attached to the basket tray or body section of the container.

Parallel slots 159 and 2t) cut in the cover panel 12 terminate at the longitudinal score 10 and are connected by longitudinal slots 21,. thus dening side tabs 22 and 22a foldableabout score 10.. The outer edge of side tabs 22 arefdeiined by longitudinal cut scores 23 about which an extension 22m is reversely foldable. The term cut score is defined asa cut through one liner and a portion of the adjacent corrugatedsheet of double face corrugated paperboard, about which the portions of the paperboard thus defined: are reversely folded, forming a fold with a two-ply flat face. End.. tabs 28v andv 28a are delined by parallel longitudinal slots 24 and 25 in theY cover panel 12y connectedV by transverse slot 27. Transverse scores 26 provide the hinge line for the end` tabs 28. Trans verse cut score 29 defines theA outer boundary of tab 28 and'the inner boundary of. the extension 28aY of tab 28.

The cover member may be assembled in various ways, a convenient procedure being to fold the endflanges 16 andthe side flanges 14 upward in. right angular relation to the cover panel 1.2".1 The extensions 15 of the side flanges I4 are then folded angularly inwardly in flatwise relation to the inner faces of.v end anges 1`6. TheY marginal. extensions 16a of the end'ii-anges 16v are then folded inwardly andv downwardly aboutscores 17 'flatwise against the side liange extensions 15, thus completingv and locking a continuous peripheral. rim. connected to theA sidel and end edges ofthe cover. panel as shown, partly assembled in Fig. 2.

Thefside tabs 22arefoldedI about score 10- into flatwise relation. with` the inner face of. the flange 14- andthe ex tensions 22a of tabs 22 are reversely folded about the cut score 23 into flatwise relation with tab 22, thereby forming a ledge 30 with a flat two-ply bearing face 31. The ledges 30 terminate in the bearing face 31 at an intermediate point of the width of the lianges 14; it is preferred that they terminate at approximately one-half the width of the flanges. The end tabs 28 are similarly folded about the hinge lines 26 against the inner face of the folded extension 16a of the end ange 16 and the extension 28a of the tab likewise folded about the cut score 2,9 to form a two-ply end ledge 32 terminating in a fiat two-ply bearing face 33. The ledges 30 and 32 are secured to the side and end lianges by staples 34 or other convenient means. The bearing faces 31 and 33 of the ledges 30 and 32 are in a plane parallel to and spaced from the plane of the cover panel.

Upon the completion of the assembly of the cover member, it is ready to be placed over the tray B of a basket having a handle 35 secured transversely of the tray. When the cover is thus placed over the tray, the bearing faces 31 and 33 of the ledges 30 and 32 seat on the upper edges 36 of the tray walls, thus rigidly and firmly positioning the cover panel 12 a substantial distance above the top of the tray walls. The openings 37 in the cover panel formed when the tabs 22 and 28 and their extensions are folded and secured against the cover rim as described, and the slot 13 for the handle member 35 provide excellent means for Ventilating the contents of the basket or container.

In the embodiment of the invention described and illustrated in Figs. 1 to4 inclusive, the ledges are of double thickness and a single ledge is formed on the ends of the cover rim and a ledge on either side of the transverse slot in the cover panel provided for the entry of the handle. Depending upon the size and the character of the contents to be packaged, the number of ledges may be varied, for example, as shown in Fig. 7, wherein only one ledge is provided in the sides of the rim and on the ends thereof. It has also been found that in some cases a single thickness of board for forming the ledges may be satisfactory, although the flat double thickness ledge tace is preferred. Fig. 5, which is a vertical sectional view taken along lines S-S of Fig. 3 of the closure member, shows the ledge 32 with the bearing face 33 resting upon the upper edge 36 of the basket tray.

Basket trays or containers provided with the cover member hereinbefore described may be stacked in vertical tiers one upon the other or in criss-cross relation without fear of depressing the cover panel on the perishable or fragile contents. The superimposed load of each container is transmitted through the rigid load supporting ledges provided in the cover member directly and exclusively upon the upper edges of the walls of the subjacent tray or container body. The invention also provides for bulge packing of fruit in the baskets or containers, if desired, without danger of damage to the contents when the containers are stacked in vertical tiers.

The embodiments of the invention herein presented are illustrative rather than restrictive, and it is also submitted that the invention is susceptible of incorporation in other modied forms coming equally within the scope or' the claims.

What l claim is:

l. A container with opstanding walls connected to a bottom panel and a closure member comprising a cover panel with a peripheral rim formed of anges depending therefrom and having a plurality of separate load supporting ledges positioned at intermittent intervals on the inner face of said rim, said ledges being formed of tabs cut from and integral with said cover panels, said tabs being folded downwardly against the inner face of said flanges, thence reversely upward about cut scores and secured to the inner face of the rim of said cover member, forming load supporting ledges which terminate in at, Z-ply bearing faces in a horizontal plane above the lower ends of said rim, said cover member telescoping the upper portions of the container walls in the closed position with said lower edges of said ledges seating on the upper edges of the container walls, rigidly maintaining said cover panel in a horizontal plane above the level of the walls and of the contents of said container, and transmitting the weight of superimposed containers exclusively 0n the container wall.

2. The container set forth and claimed in claim 1 wherein a load carrying ledge is provided on the inner face of each end of said cover member rim, a transverse slot is cut at the mid-length of the cover panel to receive a transverse handle member secured to the side walls of said container and a load carrying ledge is provided on the inner face of each side of said rim substantially intermediate said transverse slot and the end of said cover rim.

3. The container set forth and claimed in claim 1 wherein the load supporting ledges formed by folding said tabs about said cut scores, terminate at approximately the mid-width of said peripheral rim.

4. A basket having a tray with opstanding walls connected to a bottom panel and a closure member comprising a cover panel with downwardly disposed anges on each side edge, forming a peripheral rim which tele-` scopes the upper portion of the said walls in the closed position, said rim having one or more load carrying ledges positioned on the inner face of each side and end thereof and terminating substantially above the lower edge of said rim, said ledges being formed of tabs cut from the cover panel, hinged at the outer edges of said panel and folded downwardly against the inner face of said anges, thence reversely upward about cut scores and secured atwise against the inner face of the rim of said cover member, forming supporting ledges which terminate in hat, 2-ply load bearing faces, said ledges seating on the upper edges of the tray walls in the closed position of said cover member, the cover panel being maintained in a horizontal plane spaced above said tray walls, said ledges transmitting the weight of superimposed baskets exclusively on the tray Walls.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,550,646 Larson Aug. 18, 1925 1,706,804 Miller May 26, 1929 1,930,031 Andrews Oct. l0, 1933 1,943,093 Sherman Jan. 9, 1934 1,973,572 Leckband Sept. 11, 1934 2,232,632 Reynolds Feb. 18, 1941 

